The August Offensive

The August Offensive or ‘Anzac Breakout’ at Gallipoli saw some of the bloodiest fighting since the landing as Commonwealth and Turkish troops fought desperate battles at Lone Pine, German Officers’ Trench, Turkish Quinn’s, The Chessboard, The Nek, Chunuk Bair, The Farm, Hill Q and Hill 971.

The offensive was designed to allow the allied forces to ‘break out’ of the Anzac beachhead below the Sari Bair Range; its end result was an enlarged prison for which they paid a high price in men and materials. The appalling nature of the terrain, the complex plan and the overly ambitious objectives set for the already fatigued troops made the ‘fog of war’ a crucial factor. Indeed, the August Offensive clearly demonstrates what happens when an overriding strategic objective does not take into account the tactical difficulties on the ground.